The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-08-27
A SWISS LOVE STORY.

against the shaggy breast of Mount
0bgadin lived the widow Neur and
her daughter Marie. A lonely home
you would have thought it, but the
fir trees that walled so in your ears
whispered good cheer to Marie.
When fierce winds came rushing
down the mountain side she knew
the trees would bend their tall heads
together and twine their strong arms
around her home, until robbed of his
victim the baffied storm rushed by.
When morning broke the same
fflends stood erect and stately, draw.
ing aside their leaves and branches
that the sunbeams might not linger
| IN their soft embraces, but haste
nd9wn to waken their fayoiite, Marie.
sFary lovely was omr little Swiss
maid, with violet eyes that now
danced and sparkled ana then grew
soft and tender as little child's.
Two rOse-red lips shut in her pearly
teeth, and when she smiled q tiny
dimlle danced for a moment on her
peachy cheek. Her hair clung in
caresSlng curls around her low white
forehead, and fell in ripples Of golden
sunshine far below her slender waist,
And her voice All that was
Marie's greatest charm. Soft and
clear, nota discordant note marred
its sweet, pure harmony. Sometimes
as she sang at her evening deyotions
the herdsmen far below in the val
ley, catchingfaInt notes of her song,
looked up and crossed themselves,
half belieyingthey heard the echo of
an angel choir
But very few knew of Marie's
beauty, for when she went with her
mother on one of her rare visits to
the hamlet below she brushed her
wavy hair straight and smooth back
from her forehead. and braided it in
long stiff plaits which fell down her
back. Her eyelids. with their cur
tains of long silky lashes, dropped
over her dancing eyes until one look
ed in vain for a glimpse of their
beauty. Her red lips shut firmly
over her pearIy teeth, while the
dimple hid itself resolutely away
from sight. And her sweet voice,
frightened at its own sound so far
from home, grew faint and husky,
until in this shrinking, sober damsel,
walking so tinidIy beside the widow
Neur, you would have found it hard
to recognize the beautiful Marie of
the mountain.
So it happened that only her
mother and one other person knew
how good and sweet and how fair
Marie was.
This other was stranger who came
from a far-away country and spent
his summers in a little house on the
mountains very top. The simple
villagers called him "the wizard" +"
and told strange tales of how he
spent whole nights gazing at the
heavens through long tube; that
he could foretell to an hour when the
sun would cover itself with darkness;
but strangest of all he had a little
wire stretched for miles over hills
and valleys to the great city. This
wire talked to him in a queer lam
guage which no one else could I'M
derstand. "Tick, tick, tickety tick, "
it said and told him things that hap
pened miles away.
Marie did not know how wise the
wizard was when he came to her
home one morning and asked for a
drink of water. He followed her to
the spring when she went for it, and
stopped by the way to open a curious
stone. He showed Marie how queerly
marked it was inside and then told
her a story about it. The usually
timid maiden was so interested she
forgot to be frightened and thus a
strong friendship between the two
was begun.
After this the wizard often came to
the Widows chalet for rest and re-
freshment on his long rambles, and
Marie unconsciously revealed her
charms to him one by one until long
before the first summer was ended
the stranger knew that no girl in all
the canton could be compared With
Marie.
On the other side of the mountain
from the widow Neur's home lived
another widow. She, too, had but
one child, son who was the pride
and delight of her life, the young
hunter and guide, Gustavus Friel.
Every one knew and liked Gusta-
vus. Tall, straight and handsome,
with flashing brown eyes, and a
laugh as frank as a chiId's he was the
favorite of the canton, and there was
nOf n nrs, q, hnnnHu VI q